The Deputy Prime Minister of Iraq’s Kurdistan Region, Qubad Talabani, described targeting Erbil International Airport and diplomatic missions as a "terrorist act that serves the narrow agendas and interests of the parties behind them."
In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, Talabani stressed the need to coordinate efforts to stop these attacks that "violate Iraq's sovereignty."
A drone has attacked Erbil International Airport in northern Iraq with explosives, which caused fires in the vicinity of the US military base inside the airport without causing casualties.
Talabani noted that the parties behind these attacks are only interested in their narrow interests and agendas.
He stressed “the importance of coordinating efforts between the security services in Baghdad and Kurdistan" and intensifying cooperation and support from the international community to counter these attacks, which are a violation of the state's laws.
According to Talabani, if these attacks continue, they would create a state of chaos in the country and threaten the state's sovereignty, which will negatively affect the interests of Iraq and its relationship with the international community.
Former MP Majid Shankali warned that armed and pro-Iranian factions destabilize the region through continuous attacks on Erbil and foreign interests.
"It is a message to the US troops that their presence is unwelcomed in Iraq and that these factions are capable of targeting them anywhere in the country," he said.
Shankali told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Iraqi government, which has agreements with the US, must put an end to such attacks or allow the Peshmerga forces to deploy in the areas used by these factions.
The armed factions loyal to Iran are a parallel force for the Iraqi state and work according to their agendas using state funds, announced Shankali.
Writer and journalist Omar Abdul Qader described the attacks as a systematic and dangerous escalation by the pro-Iran factions against the US presence in Iraq.
He told Asharq Al-Awsat that these attacks serve the agendas of foreign parties, stressing that the Iraqi government should take serious steps to stop these attacks.
Abdul Qader warned that they would have political, economic, and security consequences on the already deteriorating political and security conditions and make it difficult for the government to hold early elections next October.
